This invention pertains to the art of apparatus for forming comestible products and more particularly to rolled food products.
The invention is particularly applicable to an apparatus and method of forming sushi rolls and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it will be appreciated that the invention has broader applications such as in other rolled food environments and applications.
A recent development receiving great attention in the area of foreign cuisine has been in the area of sushi rolls. The rolls may be used as an appetizer, a side dish, or as a convenient meal in and of themselves. The ability to prepare the sushi rolls ahead of time and keep them fresh for consumption at a later time adds to their popularity with the consumer public.
Conventionally, the art of forming the sushi rolls has been obtained from the Japanese culture and uses a sushi mat or the like. A conventional sushi mat is comprised of thin strips of bamboo arranged in generally parallel relation and fastened together with a thread or the like forming a flexible mat structure. The mat allows the sushi roll to be rolled tightly, yet air passes freely through the spaces between the separate bamboo members. The sushi mat is placed on a flat surface, such as a table top, and a sheet of nori, also known as amanori, is placed on the sushi mat. The nori is comprised of seaweed or the like that is dried and pressed and an important food product in Japanese cuisine. Various food stuffs are placed on the nori sheet for incorporation into the sushi roll. The nori sheet is slightly wetted along the edges to prevent the sheet from falling apart and the sushi mat is pulled up and pressed firmly against the nori and filling under a continuous rolling process whereby the completed food product is firmly packed in the sushi mat. The sushi roll may then be consumed as a complete roll or sliced into convenient sized pieces for consumption.
The art of rolling the sushi rolls requires a great amount of skill and manual dexterity in order to pack the sushi roll with adequate food stuff filling and present a product aesthetically pleasing to the consumer. When lacking the necessary skills, the nori roll tends to fall apart and the filling spills therefrom, both undesirable consequences.
It has been considered desirable, therefore, to develop a method and/or apparatus which assists in forming sushi rolls and other rolled products for both skilled and unskilled users. The subject invention is deemed to overcome the above noted shortcomings in the prior art.